Electric steam generating device



C. A. STEEN ELECTRIC STEAM GENERATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 3, 1954 tlliloillaliluva" May 7, 1957 United States Patent ELECTRIC STEAM GENERATING DEVICE Carl August Steen, Getinge, Sweden Application November 3, 1954, Serial N 0. 466,540 6 Claims. (Cl. 219-40) The invention refers to an electric steam generating device with electrodes suspended by an adjustable electrode carrier.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved device of this type whereby the steam pressure is automatically regulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a regulation device which is of a simple, sensitive construction and prevents leakage of steam where the regulation device is passed through the wall of the steam generator.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a steam-heated cooking boiler.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line II-II in Figure l.

The cooking boiler comprises an inner casing 1 connected at the upper portion with an outer casing 2 surrounded by a heat-insulating layer 3 so as to form an intermediate steam space. The casing 2 is connected at its lower end with an electrode container 4 for water or another electrolyte maintained at a substantially constant level by a device not shown and known per se. Three sector-formed electrodes 5 of a low height submersed into the electrolyte are carried by insulators 6 secured to a three-armed plate 7, and they are electrically connected by flexible wires 8 with inlets 9 in the wall of the electrode container. A vertical rod 10 which is secured to the centre of the plate 7 for carrying the electrodes is vertically slidable in a sleeve 11 which is supported by bars 12 fixed to the wall of the container 4. A collar 13 fixed to the rod 10 serves as a stop which rests on the sleeve in the lowest position of the electrodes.

The rod 10 is at its upper end hingedly connected with a substantially horizontal double-armed lever 14 which is pivoted in a fork-shaped support 15 by means of a pin passing through a slot in the lever so as to allow a longitudinal motion thereof. Instead of the use of the sleeve 11 the rod 19 may form one side of a link parallelogram. The opposite end of the lever 14 extends through an opening 16 in the upper portion of the wall of the container 4. From this opening a channel is formed by a pipe socket 17 having its outer mouth directed downwards and connected with the upper end of a bellows 18 made of a resilient metal or another material, such as rubber. The lower end is closed by an end wall 19 of metal, and a vertical rod 20 having its lower end welded thereto is at its upper end hingedly connected with the outer end of the lever 14. A lever 22 which is pivoted in a fixed support 23 is at one end hinged at 21 to the end wall 19 and carries at its other end a slidable weight 24.

The operation of the device is as follows. When the electric current is switched on the electrodes occupy their lowermost position entirely submersed into the water. The current passes between the electrodes through the water which thereby is heated with full power. The generated steam heats the boiler, and the condensate flows back. When an overpressure is obtained the end wall 19 of the bellows is lowered by the steam pressure acting against the pressure exerted by the weight 24, and the electrodes are raised more or less in dependence of the steam pressure. When the desired pressure is reached the contact surface of the electrodes is reduced automatically so that the generated steam corresponds only to the heat losses of the boiler, and this pressure can be regulated by the weight 24.

The electrode container together with the electrodes and the regulating device can be removed as a unit, and the container may with advantage be heat insulated.

I claim:

1. An electric steam generating device, comprising a casing having a side wall, an electrode assembly located in said casing and composed of rigidly connected and horizontally extending electrodes insulated from each other and provided with wires for connection with different voltages, a vertically adjustable electrode carrier for said electrode assembly, said casing having a fixed support and being provided with an opening in said side wall, a substantially horizontal lever pivoted to said fixed support, said lever having one end hingedly connected with said electrode carrier and the other end extending through said opening in said sidewall of said casing of said steam generating device, a bellows hermetically closing said opening, a regulating rod hingedly con-nected at its one end with said lever and connected at its other end with an end wall of said bellows for automatically regulating the vertical position of the electrode assembly in dependence of the steam pressure.

2. An electric steam generating device, comprising a casing having a side wall, an electrode assembly located in said casing and composed of rigidly connected and horizontally extending electrodes insulated from each other and provided with wires for connection with different voltages, a vertically adjustable electrode carrier for said electrode assembly, said casing having a fixed support and being provided with an opening in said side wall, a guiding sleeve around the electrode carrier for maintaining the electrode carrier in vertical position, a substantially horizontal lever pivoted in a fixed support, said lever having one end hingedly connected with said electrode carrier and the other end extending through said opening in said side wall of said casing of said steam generating device, a bellows hermetically closing said opening, a regulating rod hingedly connected at its one end with said lever and connected at its other end with an end wall of said bellows for automatically regulating the vertical position of the electrode assembly dependent on the steam pressure.

3. An electric steam generating device, comprising a casing having a side wall, an electrode assembly composed of rigidly connected and horizontally extending electrodes insulated from each other and provided with wires for connection with different voltages, a vertically adjustable electrode carrier for said electrode assembly, said casing having a fixed support and being provided with an opening in said side wall, a bellows closing said opening, a substantially horizontal lever pivoted in a fixed support, said lever having one end hingedly connected with said electrode carrier and the other end extending through said opening, said opening forming the inner mouth of a channel having its outer mouth directed downwards and connected with one end of said bellows, a regulating rod hingedly connected at its one end with said lever and connected at its other end with an end wall of said bellows for automatically regulating the vertical position of the electrode assembly in dependence of the steam pressure.

4. An electric steam generating device, comprising a casing having a side wall, an electrode assembly composed of rigidly connected and horizontally extending electrodes insulated from each other and provided with wires for connection with different voltages, a vertically adjustable electrode carrier for said electrode assembly, said casing having affixed support and being provided with an opening in said side Wall, a substantially hori- Zontal lever pivoted in said fixed support, said lever having one end hingedly connected with said electrode carrier and the other end extending through said opening in said side wall of said casing of said steam generating device, a bellows having an end wall hermetically closing said opening, a regulating rod hingedly connected at its one end with said lever and connected at its other end with said end wall of said bellows, an adjustable loading .4 device counteracting the steam pressure on said end wall.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 and in which said loading device is a lever having an adjustable Weight thereon.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 and in which said bellows is composed of rubber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,080,214 Hadaway Dec. 2, 1913 1,714,578 Weiss V May 28, 1929 2,562,843 Grondahl July 31, 1951 

